WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES, INSIGHTS, AND ANALYSIS

Atlas Copco Rental Oil-Free air compressors created an underwater buffer during the implosion of a San Francisco pier. The San Francisco Bay being a significant ecological habitat in California, words like explosives and implosion generated concern when they were used to discuss how the 80-year-old San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge’s 21 piers should be demolished.

Like most digital technology, the move from traditional to smart water meters seems like an inevitable step in the march towards progress. However, due to cost and regulatory concerns, many utilities have yet to make the transition.

The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) operates the water and wastewater systems for the capital of Wyoming which has a population of more than 63,000. Located in the fast growing Front Range Urban Corridor, BOPU is challenged by growth, periodic water scarcity and aging infrastructure.

A natural gas-fired combined cycle power generation facility located in Idaho contacted QUA to find a solution to improve the performance of a water treatment system used to recycle the plant’s cooling tower blow down water.

When it came time to design a new wastewater treatment plant for Field, the seasonal rise in population during the summer months added to the challenge of meeting Parks Canada's stringent mountain effluent targets. The goal of the new wastewater treatment plant was to protect this pristine wilderness area by setting the effluent target as close as possible to the natural composition of the receiving water bodies. With this in mind, Parks Canada reviewed the latest in advanced treatment technology and opted for a membrane bioreactor system

When demand increases, regulations change and plant equipment reaches its useful life, Evoqua Water Technologies responds. Our team has helped develop successful water and wastewater treatment systems for over 100 years using well known technologies. Our industry leading database of OEM drawings provides for faster more cost effective, and more responsive project execution.

To increase capacity within the existing footprint of a wastewater treatment facility in Michigan, two existing tanks were converted to aeration tanks with pure-oxygen aeration provided by Praxair’s In-Situ Oxygenation (I-SOTM) System.

DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS

Veolia provides the chemical processing industry with a variety of water and wastewater treatment systems and technologies. Complete water cycle, from the production of process water to wastewater treatment, water recycling and reuse, premium chemical production, odor control, and residuals management.

Calgon Carbon’s ion exchange technology is designed to remove dissolved ionic compounds from water or other liquids. Calgon Carbon offers media, fixed bed and continuous systems for a variety of applications.

Introducing SmartRun, a pump controller solution for pump stations with up to three alternating pumps. An integral part of the Flygt Experior® concept, this pump-control unit lets your pump take care of itself, freeing the pump station from debris, setting the optimal speed for energy efficiency and cost savings, as well as communicating with external monitoring equipment for peace of mind. SmartRun handles pump cleaning, pipe cleaning, sump cleaning, soft starts and stops; giving you to a new level of reliability and efficiency in an easy-to-install solution. The integrated intelligence and variable speed control mean it’s the perfect match for Flygt N-pumps – a combination that can potentially reach energy savings up to 50%

Plant engineers responsible for improving digester processes or utilizing the biogas as a fuel source will find the new Model ST51 Mass Flow Meter from Fluid Components International is designed as an application-specific solution to meet their unique needs.

What’s the best way to fight odors in the wastewater industry? Add a little oxygen. Adding Praxair’s pure oxygen to your existing process can raise the level of dissolved oxygen enough to reduce odors without further action. Even better, the use of a Praxair oxygen acetates treatment system will lower costs and help you meet your environmental goals. Our systems help you manage peak demand and increase capacity while reducing Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions.

What’s the best way to fight odors in the wastewater industry? Add a little oxygen. Adding Praxair’s pure oxygen to your existing process can raise the level of dissolved oxygen enough to reduce odors without further action. Even better, the use of a Praxair oxygen acetates treatment system will lower costs and help you meet your environmental goals. Our systems help you manage peak demand and increase capacity while reducing Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions.

In October, the WateReuse Association’s 2016 Potable Reuse Summit will bring water professionals of all levels together to hear success stories and find out how to implement potable reuse programs in their own communities.

This year's Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE16), held by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) from June 19 to 22, was the first following the tragedy of Flint — a time when the drinking water industry is under intense scrutiny.

MORE WATER INDUSTRY FEATURES

When we humans look at objects we describe them in terms of color. We say that an apple is red or a leaf is green. To us color is an attribute just as surely as the mass or dimensions of an object. But the fact is that color is a pure human construct. Take away the human and it does not exist.

When is the last time you took a moment to stop, and smell your water? A continuous supply of clean and safe drinking water is something that most people take for granted. We rarely go to the tap doubting that the water will be clean and safe. Recently, the general population and water supply professionals have become concerned about the safety and protection of our drinking water supplies.

The U.S. EPA’s Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2) was adopted in 2006 to modify the Safe Drinking Water Act and more tightly control the spread of Cryptosporidium, a microorganism that can cause gastrointestinal infection if ingested. Since its inception, the rule has posed a treatment challenge to utilities that are susceptible to the tiny contaminant. But which utilities are at risk? And how should they approach treatment?

For water treatment operators and utility officials, the summer months don’t just mean sunshine, pool parties, and barbecues. The season also brings the peak time for algal blooms, the toxic clouds formed in surface water thanks to increased nutrient contamination and rising temperatures. With rising instances of toxic algae around the country and increased regulations for eliminating it, utilities have had to keep pace.

High levels of radionuclides (uranium/radium/etc.) in drinking water aren’t very common, but they are very dangerous. If you’ve long dealt with radionuclides, you’re familiar with the treatment requirements — but are you treating as cost effectively as possible?

We all hope that the Flint Water Crisis – where cost-cutting measures led to the drinking water supply to become severely tainted with lead – was an isolated incident. However, it is not impossible that a similar event could happen again, especially in a similarly desperate city with limited financial resources. Here are a few key points that should be considered to avoid repeating such a tragedy.

When Flint Michigan discontinued purchasing water from the Detroit Water Authority and began using the Flint River as their raw water source they unfortunately did not consider the potential impact on lead and copper corrosion and the impact on the public.

The students at the University of Miami will know firsthand the importance of rethinking the way we handle wastewater and water with a Net-Zero water treatment system on site. The project showed the viability and feasibility to take buildings off the water grid to provide water recycling and how it can be achieved without raising the cost of high quality water.

Chemical, petrochemical, and oil-reﬁning plants are process-intensive operations with regulatory requirements to protect the surrounding water and air from the effects of industrial pollution. These external demands are matched by equally compelling internal pressures to address product puriﬁcation needs, ﬁnd alternatives to utilizing costly fresh water in production processes, reduce the carbon footprint, and operate efficiently and proﬁtably.